[StBernard] Using a generator to power a computer

[Westley Annis]

RL,

There should be no problem using a generator to power your PC, but I would
take a couple of precautions.

Do not plug it directly into the generator. At a minimum, use a NEW surge
protector. The capacitors inside of a surge protector do die over time,
which means you lose the surge protection, although it still works as a
power strip. A generator is not going to supply "clean" power, so you want
to use a power strip to erase those spikes in the power stream.

Even better, use a UPS. It will clean the power better than a surge
protector, and if the generator stops for any reason give you some time to
either restart it or shut down the PC.

Westley

-----Original Message-----

How safe is it to use a generator to power a computer?  Is there a  
risk of damaging the computer?

RL